Jacksonville Jaguars (Last Year: 4-13) 2025 NFL Season Preview:
Veteran Additions:
QB Nick Mullens, WR Dyami Brown, TE Johnny Mundt, G Patrick Mekari, G Chuma Edoga, C Robert Hainsey, DE Dennis Gardeck, DE Emmanuel Ogbah, CB Jourdan Lewis, S Eric Murray.
Early Draft Picks:
WR/CB Travis Hunter, G Wyatt Milum, S Caleb Ransaw, LB Jack Kiser. Jaguars Rookie Forecast
Offseason Losses:
QB C.J. Beathard, TE Evan Engram, TE Luke Farrell, G Brandon Scherff, DT Jeremiah Ledbetter, S Andre Cisco.
2025 Jacksonville Jaguars Offense:
What a difference two years can make. The Jaguars looked certain for greatness when they came back from down 27-0 against the Chargers and then hung tight with the Chiefs in the divisional round. It seemed as though they would have a chance to win a Super Bowl in the near future, especially the following year when they began the season at 8-3. Since then, however, the Jaguars are just 5-18.
Injuries to Trevor Lawrence have derailed Jacksonville, so much so that Doug Pederson was fired. Lawrence seemingly suffered a new injury every week toward the end of the 2023 season and never looked like he was completely healthy in 2024 before he got hurt again and had to finish the season on the sidelines. With Liam Coen now coaching the Jaguars, there’s a good chance Lawrence will get back on track to his Super Bowl trajectory. Coen did a brilliant job with Baker Mayfield last year and should be able to enhance his new quarterback.
Of course, it’ll help that Lawrence will have two potential All-Pro receivers at his disposal. Brian Thomas Jr. had a spectacular finish to his rookie season despite catching passes from Mac Jones during his extremely productive stretch. As great as Thomas was, Jacksonville did not believe that he was enough to get the most out of Lawrence, so the team dealt its first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to move up three spots to select Travis Hunter. The elite prospect can play receiver and cornerback, and it sounds like he’ll primarily be utilized at the former position. He has the potential to be one of the best No. 2 receivers in the NFL in a couple of seasons. Conversely, the Jaguars will have a downgrade at tight end, with Brenton Strange replacing the Denver-bound Evan Engram.
While trading up for Hunter certainly has its upside on both sides of the ball, the argument could have been made that the Jaguars needed to focus more on improving their offensive line. The front has undergone some significant changes lately, beginning in the middle of last season when left tackle Cam Robinson was traded to the Vikings. This wasn’t very impactful because Jacksonville had Walker Little waiting in the wings. The former second-round pick has made some amazing strides throughout the years and is now a capable blind-side protector. His bookend, Anton Harrison isn’t very good, but as a recent first-round selection, he has major upside.
The Jaguars will have two new blockers in the interior, with Robert Hainsey and Patrick Mekari signed via free agency. Hainsey followed Coen from Tampa Bay, where he was a backup. However, Hainsey has shown well when given the chance to start at center. Mekari, meanwhile, struggled at tackle, but has performed well at guard. The lone holdover is Ezra Cleveland, who has not played well since being acquired from Minnesota.
The new interior blocking will need to open some running lanes in addition to protecting Lawrence. If they can do so, then the question becomes focused on who will be the primary ball-carrier. Travis Etienne has the most experience, but he’s been a disappointment as a first-round bust. Tank Bigsby was much better than him last year. There’s also fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten.
2025 Jacksonville Jaguars Defense:
While the argument could have been made that the Jaguars should have remained at No. 5 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft to select an offensive lineman, there’s also the mindset that a defensive player was sorely needed. After all, Jacksonville sported the 31st-ranked defense last year when it came to yards allowed.
A huge problem for the Jaguars last year was that they had the third-worst pressure rate in the NFL. This is surprising because they have two former top-10 draft picks starting on the edge in Travon Walker and Josh Allen. Walker and Allen combined for 18.5 sacks, but the issue was that no one else was able to generate any pressure on the quarterback. Following Allen’s eight sacks, Maason Smith was third on the team with just three. Thus, the argument for Mason Graham to be the fifth pick was a valid one.
Graham was not the pick, nor did the Jaguars obtain anyone to help at defensive tackle, so they’ll be rolling out Smith, DaVon Hamilton and Arik Armstead once again. Armstead is the name that sticks out because he had so much success in San Francisco, but it appears as though he just took the money and ran to Jacksonville because he was so mediocre on his new team last year. And yet, he was still much better than either Smith or Hamilton, who struggled to apply pressure and were trampled in run support.
A weak pass rush didn’t do any favors for the secondary, though the Jaguars have some promising young players. Jarrian Jones, taken in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, began slowly last year, but had some nice starts down the stretch. There’s also 25-year-old Tyson Campbell, who had a great 2022 season, but has struggled since. Of course, there’s also Travis Hunter, though it’s unclear how much action at cornerback he’ll see.
The cornerback play is much better than what Jacksonville has at safety. Darnell Savage was a huge bust signing, as he struggled mightily last year. There’s a chance third-round rookie Caleb Ransaw could supplant him and start next to Eric Murray, who was signed over from Houston. Murray was mediocre last year, and yet he could still be Jacksonville’s top safety.
At linebacker, the Jaguars have a star player in Devin Lloyd, who has thrived the past two years following a rough rookie campaign. He and Foye Oluokun make for a nice one-two punch at the position.
2025 Jacksonville Jaguars Schedule and Intangibles:
Jacksonville’s hot and humid climate contributed to its outstanding 83-53 home record from 1995 to 2011. They were just 9-29 as hosts in the four seasons prior to 2017, perhaps because of the curse of the swimming pool. That curse snapped temporarily, as Jacksonville was 6-2 at home in 2017, but the team was 3-4 as a host in each of the following two years. The 2020 and 2021 results are disregarded because the team was so terrible. The Jaguars reverted to 5-3 as hosts in 2022, but regressed to 3-5 in 2023 and 2-5 in 2024.
The Jaguars had kicking woes in 2023, prompting them to use a sixth-round pick on Cam Little. The young kicker rewarded them by going 27-of-29, including 5-of-6 from 50-plus.
Logan Cooke has been ranked first, sixth, first, sixth, seventh, and second in net average over the past six seasons. He also did a great job of pinning teams inside the 20. It’s quite the relief, given that this franchise once selected a punter over Russell Wilson, but has finally figured out the position.
The Jaguars have some tough games on the slate despite owning a third-place schedule. They have to take on the Chiefs, Rams, Broncos, 49ers, and Texans. However, they also get the Panthers, Seahawks, Raiders, and Jets.
2025 Jacksonville Jaguars Rookies:
Go here for the Jaguars Rookie Forecast, a page with predictions like which rookie will bust and which rookie will become a solid starter.
2025 Jacksonville Jaguars Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):
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Projection: 10-7 (TBA in AFC South)
2024 Projection: 10-7. 2024 Actual Result: 4-13.
2023 Projection: 10-7. 2023 Actual Result: 9-8.
2022 Projection: 5-12. 2022 Actual Result: 9-8.
2021 Projection: 5-12. 2021 Actual Result: 3-14.
2020 Projection: 1-15. 2020 Actual Result: 1-15.
2019 Projection: 10-6. 2019 Actual Result: 6-10.
2018 Projection: 6-10. 2018 Actual Result: 5-11.
2017 Projection: 4-12. 2017 Actual Result: 10-6.
2016 Projection: 7-9. 2016 Actual Result: 3-13.
NFL Draft Team Grade: B- Grade
Goals Entering the 2025 NFL Draft: Trevor Lawrence has failed to finish the past two seasons, so protecting him is the greatest priority. The Jaguars must find tons of upgrades on the defensive side of the ball as well. They’ve had one of the worst defenses in the NFL over the past couple of years, so improvement is needed at every level.
2025 NFL Draft Accomplishments: The Jaguars made a blockbuster deal to start the draft, trading up to No. 2 overall. They moved up three spots, yet surrendered first- and second-round picks to do so, which seems to be too expensive for a non-quarterback. However, they are getting a potential unicorn in Travis Hunter, who will be able to play both wide receiver and cornerback. He had great success doing this at Colorado. Whether it translates to the NFL remains to be seen.
While I didn’t like the trade itself, the rest of Jacksonville’s draft class looks rather strong from a grading perspective. Only one grade scored worse than a “B,” and that was a B-.
However, there’s one fundamental thing wrong with the Jaguars’ haul, and that would be that they failed to upgrade the offensive line on multiple occasions. They drafted the versatile Wyatt Milum, but that was the only resource they spent on their blocking in the first six rounds. While Lawrence will have a superior option opposite Brian Thomas Jr., he may not survive the season because of the shoddy blocking.
NFL Draft Individual Grades:
2. Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado – C- Grade
It makes sense for the Jaguars to draft the best player available, and that would be Travis Hunter. Some would argue Abdul Carter, but there’s a Carter in many drafts. There’s never been a player like Hunter who can be elite at two positions. However, trading a 2026 first-round pick to move up three spots for a non-quarterback is insane. I guess we can’t be surprised that a Browns general manager bullied a new Jaguars general manager into a poor trade. Despite his poor dancing, Hunter will likely be great. But Jacksonville should have remained at No. 5.
88. Caleb Ransaw, CB/S, Tulane – A- Grade
The Jaguars needed a cornerback (despite the Travis Hunter pick) and a safety. They got both with Caleb Ransaw! The Tulane product can play all over the secondary, whether it’s at cornerback or safety. He makes sense in this range.
89. Wyatt Milum, G/OT, West Virginia – A Grade
More protection for Trevor Lawrence is welcome. Milum is very versatile, as he can play both tackle and guard. I thought he could go earlier than this. Trevor Lawrence has to be thrilled with this draft.
104. Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech – A- Grade
Another solid pick in Round 4. Bhayshul Tuten is a speedy running back who could emerge as the starter. Travis Etienne has been a huge bust, and Tank Bigsby is just OK, so Tuten, who fits the range, might be the starter by the end of the year.
107. Jack Kiser, LB, Notre Dame – B- Grade
Jack Kiser can make some good plays in coverage. This is a decent pick, though I believed he’d be drafted a bit later. This doesn’t fill a huge need either, so I’m not a huge fan of this pick.
194. Jalen McLeod, LB, Auburn – B Grade
Jalen McLeod is a versatile linebacker who can rush the passer well. He can wear many hats in Jacksonville’s defense, so I imagine he’ll stick on the team in some fashion.
200. Rayuan Lane, S, Navy – B Grade
Rayuan Lane, expected to go in this range, is a very tough player. However, he’s undersized, so this is likely just for special teams, which have become more important this year.
221. Jonah Monheim, C/G/OT, USC – A+ Grade
I love this pick. Jonah Monheim should have been taken much earlier than this. Monheim has great potential to be an elite backup lineman in the NFL because he can play every position. He might be able to emerge as a starter eventually.
236. LeQuint Allen, RB, Syracuse – A Grade
Another running back, but the Jaguars need to nail this position. LeQuint Allen is a major receiving threat out of the backfield. He could have gone much earlier than this.
Follow me @walterfootball for updates.
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